Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Debate: The Under Truck

So J. Crew F/W 2010 hit it out of the park as per usual these days - super wearable, understated and just flat out classic. Everyone's already talked about it so there's not point in my rehashing of all the accolades. What I do want to talk about is a curious catalog styling choice that has me a tad dumbfounded.

J. Crew's styling as of late, just like their collections, has been great. They've kept things current and clever while still balancing the often overlooked factor of what is actually stylish and pratical when you leave your house. They layer expertly and have a knack for combining items that most guys wouldn't think of pairing. It's one of the rare cases where a lookbook or catalog can actually serve as a reference point for your average guy and that is saying a lot especially when viewed against what other brands are putting out there. With that said, I cannot seem to get over the choice of wearing a Levi's trucker jacket under your suit. Is there anyone in the entire world that actually does something like this? Where could you possibly be going or possibly doing in such a getup? The down vest under your suit jacket look is borderline enough already - why try and push the envelop? This seems incredibly foolish (i.e. trying way too hard) to me, but I figured that there had to be someone out there who disagrees. And maybe even someone who could make a convincing argument for this look. Nothing is set in stone these days anyway.

24 comments:

You aren't alone — even the MacAlister boots look out of place, or in place depending on what the ensemble is actually trying to convey.

This look is clearly trying to combine modern elegant with classic Americana — and it's borderline offensive, to be blunt. Bottom line: Lose the jean jacket and suede boots and opt for something that actually suits (no pun intended) the look.

this is coming from a chic's pov, but i think it looks super fresh - pair it with chinos, camo fatigues, sweats, instead of suit pants & maybe it's more 'wearable'. i also think, as shown above, this could work in a meeting/interview if you're in a creative industry, or if you work in a casual business environment, or out to dinner/drinks. i'm going to try & pull it off myself...with the fatigues i think...or the jcrew womens curator pants :)

totally agreed — trucker jacket under a suit, especially one as formal as this navy number, is totally ridiculous. How is it even possible that the (thin wool) sleeves of his suit jacket fit comfortably over that denim? Not to mention that if you actually had a suit properly tailored — not pinned to fit the outfit, as this guy's probably is — there is just no way that it would fit right over something as bulky as a denim jacket. It's all wrong.

and no offense to michelle, but wearing a trucker jacket to a meeting or interview would you get you laughed out of the room no matter what you wear over it (hell, if you wanted to REALLY dress it up just throw a tux on top) or how creative your industry is.

The guy in the photo looks good, but, c'mon, he's a professional model. It's his JOB to make clothes look good. On anyone else, that outfit would be totally absurd. I'm all about the unexpected-pairings-with-a-suit look, but the average person could just not pull that look off.

Worse than a chambray shirt. Most chambrays, especially ones from JCrew, are pretty thin. On the other hand, trucker jackets are thicker and look good over a hoodie or sweater. Trucker jackets are outerwear for a reason. You wouldn't wear a parka under a suit jacket, would you?

They're just trying to convey the versatility of their offerings. This is not the first time I've seen this look in print. A few years ago I remember seeing it from DKNY. Whatever...the suit looks good.

There seems to be a bit of confusion here in regards to the trucker jacket underneath the suit. The model is in fact wearing a denim shirt which you can see on another model after the jump. It’s more or less a different take on the chambray shirting underneath the suit that they’ve done over the last few seasons.

This has been done in GQ a couple times. I don't like how it's style here, but I think under a khaki suit, maybe in September, it could look cool. Look cool, I don't know about mobility though with the rigid jacket under a suit jacket. Something better left to the more daring of us.